YACOOB ABBA OMAR: Knowing your Nips from your Nicoc

The release of the expert panel report on the July 2021 unrest, and the announcement of steps to be taken in its wake by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his 2022 state of the nation address, have helped thrust our security and intelligence services onto the centre stage again.

Discussion had already been enhanced by the exposure of the role of those services during the state capture years, at the Zondo commission hearings as well as the more recent February 8-9 interviews for intelligence inspector-general.

Of the many critical observations and findings by the expert panel, one of the most damning was that the problems flagged had already been identified in the 2018 report of the high-level review panel on the State Security Agency (SSA) appointed by Ramaphosa to address the politicisation of the secret services under the Jacob Zuma presidency.

The high-level panel observed that the SSA had been compromised by factionalism, mismanagement and inefficiency, and for the expert panel “it was a matter of concern” that there had been little or no remedy since that report was issued.

The media and opposition parties have correctly latched onto the expert panel’s finding that “what appears to be factional battles in the ANC have become a serious source of instability in the country”, and that the cabinet must take responsibility for the outbreak and spread of the violence given all the warning signals provided by the intelligence and security agencies.

The expert panel points out that “the violence has left behind a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability because of the ineffective response of the security services and an appetite for lawlessness by those who might feel emboldened by the apparent lack of state capacity”.

We will be doing little justice to the various issues raised, and recommendations made, if we use them to simply score cheap political points.

This is a clarion call for all parts of society to make the security of this country, its democracy and its people our common concern. Security and intelligence issues are far too important to be left merely to the securocrats.

Key recommendations by both the high-level panel and the expert panel relate to national security strategy (NSS), which the high-level panel said “should be widely consulted with the public and parliament before formal approval”.

It also called for a review of the security architecture, which the expert panel also highlights, mentioning that officials they interviewed “expressed concern about the overlapping roles, of the plethora of structures and that there seemed to be duplication of reporting lines”.

If the securocrats find that bewildering, it’s no wonder that ordinary members of the public like myself cannot even tell the difference between our Nips (National Intelligence Priorities), our NSS and Nicoc (National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee).

The intricacies of policing, intelligence and security will need to be unpacked so that citizens can feel empowered to make meaningful contributions to these debates.

This would give real meaning to Ramaphosa’s call in his 2022 state of the nation address for “all South Africans through their various formations to participate in developing our national security strategy”. Similarly, our legislators will need a deeper appreciation of the cardinal issues involved to be able to realise his call that “parliament plays a key role in facilitating inclusive processes of consultation”.

One action the president cannot delay is to deal with the capacity of crime intelligence, which had been hollowed out under the watch of the national commissioner of police. At the same time, the appointment of an intelligence inspector-general, one of moral rectitude who has the backbone to take on the intelligence community, should be a quick win.

At the heart of intelligence gathering is the identification of risks. Both panels correctly identified the greatest risk our republic ultimately faces as arising from inequality, poverty and unemployment — making inclusive growth an imperative if we want to ensure the safety of all.

• Abba Omar is director of operations at the Mapungubwe Institute.